I recently installed a set of Toyo Open Country R/T’s in LT255/80R17 on my 2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport. I was looking for a replacement tire that would fit on stock alloy wheels (mine are from a Rubicon model), not rub when on the trails, and be able to fit onto the stock spare tire carrier. Toyo just recently released this size in both the Open Country R/T and Open Country AT II.
When I installed them initially, I did not get a chance to get a full off-road test because I had to perform trail lead duties during our last off-road meet (ironically).
This Memorial Day weekend I was finally able to get out to our local OHV park and perform a good evaluation of these new tires. The wife, baby, and I headed out to Northwest OHV Park in Bridgeport, Texas to do a day of testing on the new Toyos.
We arrived at the park and ran into a few Jeepers and a friend from the local Jeep club (NTJC). They were out there doing a group ride and I saw them a few times while out on the trail. I aired the tires down to 25 psi, something that would bite me later on early in the day, and we headed out onto the trails.
Hills:
We did a few short hill climbs. All of them were done with the transfer case in 4 LO. A majority of the hills the Jeep climbed with no drama. There was no tire slip or tire spin. Even when caked with mud they were able to claw up the shorter hills with ease.
When I got into the big hill at the end of the video that’s where I ran into problems. This hill consisted of a long climb up to a set of rock ledges. The first problem was that I had no spotter. My wife isn’t confident enough in her spotter skills to guide me up the ledges. The second problem was that the Jeep isn’t equipped with locking differentials or even a limited slip. In the video you can see the driver side rear tire come to a complete stop while the others were clawing for traction. The third problem and one that would have made a difference was that I wasn’t behind the wheel. This was the wife’s first time ever driving the Jeep off-road, she was in over her head and I had to stop her before they went tumbling down the hill.
Perhaps if I aired down a little bit more it would have been less drama for her. After watching the video it looked like she stopped right before the Jeep was about to climb over the rock on the right rear tire.
Technical Trails:
Northwest OHV has a few technical trails at the park. A lot of them include some off-camber moments. There are also quite a few rocks to negotiate along the trails. I had to abort a couple of trail runs just because of the sheer size of the rocks and their drop-offs.
At the end of the technical trails video you can see my bumper touch one of the rocks. It put a little dent on the corner and a few scratches on the bumper. The wife was not happy at all, but I was able to pop it out and maybe I’ll be able to remove the scratches later. It’s not too bad.
The tires had no issues on the technical trails. I switched from mostly 2WD to 4Hi on these sections. I typically stay in 2WD in tight areas to be able to bet the most steering angle without binding up the axles and stressing the power steering, unless there’s mud around and I need 4WD to get out of it.
These Toyos are E-rated so I didn’t have a problem with bumping them into any rocks. My wheels are already scuffed up from previous run-ins with the rocks at the park so if I need to clear something I don’t mind sacrificing the wheel faces.
Mud:
If Northwest OHV is known for anything, it’s the abundance of standing mud that is on the trails. The park used to be a rock quarry before the city of Bridgeport turned it into an OHV park. Fortunately for us there hasn’t been much rain lately so a majority of the trails were dry except for the normal sections.
Mud performance is excellent. There was not a single time during the day where I was in mud and did not feel like I was in control. Even in situations where I was at an angle we did not slide into the tree that felt like was right next to us in the last section of the mud video.
I even gave it a little gas (tread lightly!) in a couple of sections to get some tire spin going and to see if they would slip. We would be greeted with acceleration every time I did. I am impressed with the mud performance. I’m not a fan of mud and avoid it as much as possible on the trails, but it’s good to know that these Toyos will not disappoint in those conditions.
The tires did a great job of clearing themselves. As soon as I got some speed going the treads would be cleared out. I also noticed that these tires do not collect little rocks and pebbles like my previous brand tires did.
We come to the conclusion of my off-road test of these tires. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a skinny 33" tire for a 17" wheel. They will be another item I won’t have to worry about on my Jeep for my future overland adventures.
Noise levels:
I let the wife take a video of the interior while we were cruising at 70mph on the highway on the way home. Noise levels are low, they are quieter than the Cooper ST Maxx’s I had previously. I can still hear my engine when I’m driving around. They also don’t squeal when going around a hard corner at speed or accelerating in a roundabout. I’ve yet to test them in the rain because we haven’t had much here in North Texas recently. These tires are M+S rated.
One thing to note about these Toyos I did notice on the road is that they soak up bumps better than the Coopers did. The bumps that I used to have to brace for on my normal commute are now damped. On our pothole ridden gravel road behind my neighborhood that connects to the highway the ride a lot smoother. This is important to me because my 2-year old takes a lot of naps in the Jeep and he’s been woken up by some bumps in the road before.
Update 6/6/17:
We just returned from a 1400 mile+ trip from North Texas to Destin, Florida. The trip to FL was 50% rain, the return trip was about 40% rain, sometimes in low visibility conditions where we could only see the tail lamps of the vehicle in front of us. There was also one spot where there was water on the highway in the left lane. The tires handled the same in the rain as it does in the dry. In steady rain at 75-80 mph I did not encounter any hydroplaning or slipping. During acceleration from a stop or coming around a bend the did not spin at all. My Jeep is the model with just an open differential in the rear without the limited slip, so it’s a one-wheel peeler. I am impressed with the wet weather performance.
Update 6/17/17:
I went back to the OHV park today to lead an introductory group for some members of Texas Overland and the Soft Roaders. After not completing that hill climb the last time out I was determined to do it again. This time with me driving and with some experienced trail spotters. I aired down to 20 psi for the day, performance was just as predictable as last time, the ride is even softer with 5 less psi (obviously). Needless to say, the hill is now mine:
It’s always nice to go out there with a group of friends. I now have two hours worth of introductory trails for anyone that’s willing to follow me. Here’s the only picture I was able to get with some of the guys hanging out:
As soon as we get some snow and ice, most likely ice because it’s Texas, I’ll add to this post and possibly get some video.
If you would like to watch all the video clips in one click I put them all together:
Thank you for reading my evaluation of these tires. I am very happy with them and have no regrets about sticking to a tall and skinny size versus a larger tire that would need a few upgrades on the Jeep. Perhaps later down the road when I decide to get a new set of axles with proper gearing and lockers I’ll change to a taller and wider size. I hope to see you on the trails someday.
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